Thermal
Emission from Isolated Neutron Stars
and their surface magnetic field: going quadrupolar?
Silvia Zane, MSSL, UCL, UK
35th Cospar Symposium - Paris, 18-25 July
2004
Dim Isolated neutron stars are key in compact objects astrophysics: these
are the only sources in which we can see directly the ³surface² of the compact star.
If pulsations and/or long term variations are detected:
˙ Study the shape
and evolution of the pulse profile of the thermal emission
˙ Information
about the thermal and magnetic map of the star surface.